and not just to locals, but to people all over the country. ">>>believe it or not ... this old ... beat-up track was once the heart of speed city. during the 1960's -- san jose state track and field took america by storm, boasting some of the country's fastest runners coining -- including tommy smith and john carlos. ron davis -- now the spartan cross country coach -- was an assistant to the legendary coach bud winter during speed city's hey day. :09 r. davis - when we showed up for competitions usc, ucla, stanford, all the top school in america did not want to see us show up. the 1969 ncaa championship team featured smith and carlos.. who put speed city on the map not only for their blazing speed but for their historic protest against oppression during the 1968 olypic games. as smith and carlos raised their fists for equality among all ... it's easy to forget that the two spartans won gold and bronze medals that day. smith got gold after setting a new 200-meter world-record -- while carlos trailed less than a second behind to capture the bronze. :11 john carlos - i'm just very hap